Peel Regional Police are investigating after more than $20 million worth of gold and high-value goods were stolen from Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday.
The goods were handled by Air Canada cargo operations and offloaded from an aircraft that landed at the airport the evening of Apr. 17, a source told CTV News Toronto on Friday.
Air Canada says they have no further information to provide and is directing all questions to Peel Police.
Police said the “high-value container” of five to six sq.ft was stolen from a holding cargo facility once it was taken off the plane.
“An aircraft arrived here at the airport in the early evening. As per normal procedure, the aircraft was unloaded and cargo was transported from the aircraft to a holding cargo facility,” Inspector Stephen Duivesteyn said in a news conference on Thursday.
.Duivesteyn also revealed that the cargo was secured in the holding facility and later removed by “illegal means.”
The missing goods were reported to police shortly afterwards.
The airline that transported the multi-million dollar goods has not yet been revealed.
Three days into the investigation, Duivesteyn says investigators are closely considering all avenues to solve the theft.
“For the public worried about flying out, there should be no concern. We do not consider this a public safety matter,” he said during the press conference.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which manages Pearson Airport, said there was no threat to passengers or staff when the heist occurred.
“The GTAA wishes to clarify that thieves accessed the public side of a warehouse that is leased to a third party, outside of our primary security line. This did not involve access to Toronto Pearson itself and did not pose a threat to passengers or GTAA staff,” they said in a statement on Thursday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Peel Police have joined forces for the investigation, along with the Criminal Investigation Bureau at the airport division.
Police say they do not know if the gold is still in the country. Investigators have not released information on suspects or made any arrests surrounding the rare money heist.
